Published in Overland Issue Print Issue 198 Autumn 2010 · Writing / Main Posts A souqi Maysoon Elnigoumi As I listen to you In a common peculiar mood Something within wants to kill you Hunt down gazelles galloping from your eyes I say and I am wise These are not days for gazelles Or is it a dark mind? Damp, dense And what is poetry? Trash And a bit of rhyme And the hidden symbols of a poem Are nothing but mice traps With cheap cheese, Or is it a dense mind? Damp, dark How did I come to this my love? Vile! Vile! All forbidden! Something within wants to kill you And all gazelles galloping from your eyes My love she of stinking feet Dipped her toes into my waters And all fish rose to the surface Yet there is tenderness within Had I died before I wrote poetry And all this trash How did I come to this my love? Come! Maysoon Elnigoumi Maysoon Elnigoumi lives in Sydney and writes poetry and articles on literature, music and arts, some of which have appeared in Sudanese newspapers. More by Maysoon Elnigoumi › Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places. If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate. Related articles & Essays 20 March 20262 April 2026 · Main Posts Final results of the 2025 Judith Wright Poetry Prize Editorial team Established in 2007 and supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation, the Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize seeks outstanding poetry from new and emerging writers. This year’s judges, Shastra Deo, Harry Reid and […] 20 March 202620 March 2026 · Main Posts Final results of the 2025 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize Editorial team Established in 2007 and supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation, the Overland Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize seeks outstanding original short fiction of up to 3000 words themed loosely around the notion […]
